Trades involving 2nd-round picks have been terrible

The Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs are in a stare down contest over a trade for left tackle Branden Albert.

The Dolphins know what Albert expects to be paid and continue to go forward with talks. They're not blinking about either the $9.8 million franchise tender currently on Albert or the potential asking price in a long-term deal, contrary to an ESPN report. That is secondary right now.

Every report on the topic says the problem is over a second-round pick the Dolphins must pay to KC for Albert. Apparently the Chiefs want not only a second-rounder but Miami's first of two second-rounders -- the No. 42 overall selection as opposed to the No. 54 overall selection.

So this trade happening ... or not ... will ride on the decision of Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland's plans for his second round picks.

Which begs the question, what is it with the Dolphins and second round picks?

The second rounders have often been used as trade bait by the Dolphins the past decade or so. And rarely has the use of those resources returned a dividend.

Consider:

In 2004, the Dolphins gave up a second round pick to Philadelphia for A.J. Feeley. The idea was to have Feeley, the Eagles backup at the time, become Miami's starting quarterback. Not only did Feeley fail to win the starting job in 2004, he was terrible in the 2005 preseason and new coach Nick Saban traded him and a sixth round pick to San Diego for Cleo Lemon. Verdict: LOSS.

In 2006, the Dolphins gave up a second round pick to Minnesota for quarterback Daunte Culpepper. They did this after they decided Culpepper was a better injury risk than signing Drew Brees as a free agent. Culpepper, outstanding before blowing out his knee in 2005, was never the same. He played only a handful of games in 2006 before getting into an argument with Saban and eventually being shut down. He was cut by the Dolphins in the spring of 2007. Verdict: LOSS.

In 2007, the Dolphins tendered receiver Wes Welker as a restricted free agent. The New England Patriots, seeing an opportunity and on the advice of Nick Saban, wanted Welker. They dealt a second rounder and a seventh-rounder to the Dolphins for Welker. Welker went on to become a Pro Bowl fixture. The Dolphins used the second round pick on center Samson Satele, who played only two seasons for Miami. Verdict: LOSS.

In 2008, the Dolphins were in the middle of a franchise revamp and the only real asset of high merit on the roster was Jason Taylor. But Taylor, wanting a Super Bowl ring, didn't want to go through another roster revamp. He asked, through his agent, to be traded. The Dolphins did just that to the Washington Redskins for a second round pick in 2009. Taylor failed in Washington and was cut and returned to the Dolphins in 2009. Verdict: WIN.

(Even in victory, the Dolphins failed because the pick they gained from Washington was used to pick Pat White. And he was off the team within a year.)

In 2010, the Dolphins wanted to add a bigtime playmaking wide receiver. They identified restricted free agent Brandon Marshall as that player. They gave up not one, but two first round picks to the Denver Broncos for Marshall. He played two seasons with Miami, leading the team in receptions both years and going to the Pro Bowl in 2011. But he had the same off-field issues in Miami he had in Denver. He also argued with teammates such as Chad Henne, Igor Olshansky and Vontae Davis. He was traded a year ago. Verdict: LOSS.

In 2012, the Dolphins apparently tired of Davis having troubles with maturity and other things. He also showed up sloppy out of shape to camp that summer. The club shipped the former first round draft pick to Indianapolis for two second-round and conditional sixth-round pick. Well, the Dolphins have that pick to use this draft. The second is not quite as high as the Dolphins figured because the Colts played well in 2012 and were a playoff team. The Dolphins also didn't get the sixth-rounder because Davis did not play the required 60 percent of the down for Indy that the pick required. The Dolphins have the No. 54 pick from Indianapolis to use. Verdict: INCOMPLETE.

Obviously history has no tangible impact on what is likely to happen on this issue. But history should warn you that the Dolphins have had a gift for losing when making deals involving second-round picks.